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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25614121">Under the Water</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarMorrigan/pseuds/SolarMorrigan'>SolarMorrigan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Solar's 007 Fest 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>James Bond (Craig movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Friendship, M/M, and you can't change my mind, hinted ex-military Q, the essential Q branch shot is the best part of the classic Bond movies, toeing the line of something more</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:07:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>644</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25614121</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarMorrigan/pseuds/SolarMorrigan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bond is learning new things about Q all the time, bit by fascinating bit</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Pre-James Bond/Q - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Solar's 007 Fest 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1851796</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>007 Fest Fancreations</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Under the Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Filled "ex-military Q" on the tropes prompt table and "underwater escapades" on the classic Bond table, if I remember correctly</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I admit,” Bond said, taking a good look around, “you still find ways to surprise me, Q.”</p>
<p>A pleased little smirk tucked itself up in the corner of Q’s mouth, though his reply was dry as ever. “Well, it’s not much, but we are rather fond of our little setup here.” He turned, gesturing for Bond to follow. “Try to keep your hands to yourself, please, 007.”</p>
<p>Bond rolled his eyes, trailing a long behind Q. ‘Not much,’ he said – as if an entire underwater Q-branch lab was just some kind of ramshackle outpost.</p>
<p>Within their immediate vicinity, he could see techs working on some kind of weaponized scuba tank, a wetsuit with mildly malfunctioning chameleon properties, and a harpoon gun that probably violated several federal laws and possibly the laws of physics.</p>
<p>“No promises,” Bond replied at last.</p>
<p>Q shook his head, leading Bond past every station with only a cursory glance at each (it was an act, Bond knew, or else Q had already checked in with each of them – he loved the gadgets even more than Bond did) and towards the back of the lab.</p>
<p>The space seemed to be used mostly for storage, and though the shelves and bins likely contained all sorts of interesting things, Bond’s attention was momentarily diverted to the large, floor-to-ceiling window set into the wall beside him. The water was clear, offering glimpses of the fish flitting by and varicolored plants swaying in the current.</p>
<p>“Quite a view,” Bond commented.</p>
<p>“If that’s the sort of thing you enjoy,” Q muttered, head stuck halfway into a storage bin.</p>
<p>Bond smirked, glancing fully away from the window for a moment. “Is the ocean not the sort of thing you enjoy, Q?” he teased.</p>
<p>Q pulled his head out of the bin long enough to take a look out the window and grimace. “I’m not the greatest fan, no,” he replied, giving up on the bin he’d been searching and digging into another. “If I wanted to spend time buried under water, I’d have gone into the navy like you, not…”</p>
<p>Bond waited for Q to continue, though no other words seemed to be forthcoming. Q had been doing that a lot lately: getting halfway through a personal story or standing on the cusp of some little detail about himself, before drawing back, uncertain, as if he wanted to share but was unsure if he should.</p>
<p>“Not…?” Bond prompted quietly.</p>
<p>“Not the air force,” Q finished.</p>
<p>Bond blinked. “Aren’t you afraid of flying?” he found himself blurting (and wasn’t he supposed to be a hardened spy, resistant to spilling information? How did Q pull these things out of him?).</p>
<p>Q jerked up out of the box he’d been searching, leveling Bond with a look of absolute offense. “Who the absolute fuck told you <em>that</em>?” he demanded.</p>
<p>Bond held in a snort at the sheer indignation. “Do I look like a tattletale to you, Q?”</p>
<p>Q scoffed. “<em>Afraid of flying</em> – of all the ridiculous – just because I <em>don’t</em> fly anymore doesn’t mean I’m <em>afraid</em>. I might not be overly fond, but that’s,” Q cleared his throat, “that’s neither here nor there.”</p>
<p>Bond’s brows went up. Interesting.</p>
<p>“In any case, I’ll take a plane over a sub, given the choice,” Q concluded. “They’re certainly more enjoyable to design.”</p>
<p><em>Oh</em>. Now that peaked Bond’s interest. He could only imagine the bizarre innovations Q would work into any aircraft he created.</p>
<p>“Design many planes, Q?” Bond asked.</p>
<p>“Mm,” Q hummed, sending Bond a sly look that told him he sounded a bit more eager than he’d meant. “If you’re lucky, I may even let you look at them one day. In the meantime, though…”</p>
<p>Q plunged his hand into a third box and pulled out both a snorkel mask and a sheathed dive knife with a satisfied little ‘aha.’</p>
<p>“Pay attention, 007.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Also posted on <a href="https://solarmorrigan.tumblr.com/post/624186115685056512/under-the-water-james-bond-genpre-00q-no">Tumblr</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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